Equine asthma diagnosis, treatment and long-term management are the focus of a new quality improvement project launched across CVS Equine practices.
The condition is common and often requires ongoing care. However, differences in how cases are diagnosed, recorded and treated can make it difficult to evaluate outcomes across a large number of horses.
For the first stage of the Equine Asthma Quality Improvement Project, veterinary surgeons, nurses and client care teams will be asked to record equine asthma consistently as a formal diagnosis within the company’s clinical management system.
This will allow CVS Equine to identify cases accurately and build a clearer picture of the treatments and management approaches being used across its practices.
The project will then review prescribing practices alongside environmental factors and management changes carried out by horse owners. Its findings will be used by CVS Equine specialists to develop updated, evidence-based clinical guidelines.
Charlotte Sinclair, CVS Equine Veterinary Medical Director, said: “Equine asthma is a condition we see every day in practice, yet historically it hasn’t been easy to objectively assess how we are diagnosing and managing it across a large and diverse clinical population.
“By taking a quality improvement approach, starting with something as simple as consistent diagnosis recording, we can build a clearer, accurate picture of current practice and use that data to drive meaningful improvements in care.”
The initiative will also explore how veterinary nurses can play a greater role in supporting horses with asthma through long-term monitoring, owner education and environmental management.
Emerging research surrounding the effectiveness and sustainability of different treatments will also be considered, including discussion about the environmental impact of inhaled therapies.
Once sufficient data has been collected and reviewed, updated equine asthma guidelines will be introduced across CVS Equine. Further audits will then assess whether the changes are improving outcomes for horses.
“Equine asthma is rarely ‘fixed’ with a single intervention,” added Charlotte. “Improving care requires consistency, evidence and collaboration, and this project allows us to bring all three together.”
